What does Medical Malpractice Insurance Cover?

Medical professional liability insurance, commonly known as medical malpractice insurance, is a type of professional liability insurance. It protects licensed health care providers (physicians, dentists, nurses, etc. and healthcare facilities) from liability associated with wrongful practices which result in bodily injury, medical expenses, property damage, as well as the legal expenses associated with the claims.

Medical malpractice occurs when the healthcare provider is determined to have deviated from the generally accepted “standard of care”, or what a prudent healthcare provider would do or would not do in a similar situation.

Most medical malpractice insurance policies cover a physician’s conduct as a member of a peer review panel. Typically, he is open to a medical malpractice lawsuit if it is deemed that his decision was inappropriate and caused a loss of income for the claimant.

Even if the healthcare professional has not deviated from the recognized standard of care, he can still be sued. He may prevail in a court of law, but the process is very expensive, time-consuming, and devastating to his emotional and mental health. He can turn to his medical malpractice insurance to cover costs, including:

  • Attorneys’ fees and court costs;
  • Arbitration costs;
  • Settlement costs;
  • Punitive and compensatory damages;
  • Medical damages;

Typical exclusions on a medical malpractice insurance policy include liability arising from alleged sexual harassment, criminal acts, misrepresentation on the application for medical malpractice insurance, hospital or laboratory administration, and deliberate alteration of medical records.

If you are interested in learning more about medical malpractice insurance, or to receive a no-obligation quote, please contact us at 1-800-272-6055.

David C. Backer
David C. Backer

David C. Backer, of Gracey-Backer, Inc., an Insurance Agency in Delray Beach, Florida specializing in All Lines of Malpractice, Professional and Personal Insurance. He can be contacted at (561) 404-5745, or at david@gbifl.com.

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